Sept. 14
Creepy feeling
At 9:45 p.m. deputies responded to a hotel on Copenhagen Drive on a report of a prowler attempting to enter a ground-floor room occupied by a woman and her infant. Upon arrival, the deputy noticed hotel staff standing in front of the room and pointing to a short man nearby and yelling, “That’s him!” The deputy detained the man, who smiled, laughed and said, “Oh, well. Sorry.” The man claimed he was looking for his sister. The hotel manager said she got a call from the victim about the man and saw the man run to the side of the building and attempt to climb up the side of the hotel to the second-floor balcony. The victim, who was visiting from out of town, said she was caring for her infant and was watching television when she “got the feeling someone was watching.” She turned and saw someone standing inches from her window of a private patio, staring at her in the darkness and smiling. She closed the blinds, but the man ran to the adjacent window and continued to watch her. He then tugged on the handle and banged on the door before the woman called the front desk. The deputy noted that the man was not intoxicated or under the influence of a controlled substance. He complained of pressure in his head that “caused” him to come to the hotel. The deputy found an unopened condom in his front left pocket. When the deputy asked him again why he was at the hotel, the man shrugged his shoulders and smiled. The deputy arrested him for criminal trespassing and booked him into county jail.
Sept. 15
Dazed and confused
At 2:15 a.m. a deputy headed eastbound on the 1500 block of Mission Drive saw four adult males standing in front of a closed bar. One man seemed to have trouble standing and another was trying to help guide him toward the sidewalk. The deputy learned that the drunken man did not know the three, but he learned that one had been buying him drinks at Solvang Brewery and had been attempting to convince him to go on a date with him in his hotel room. The drunken man could not say where he was or where he was staying. He had difficulty understanding basic questions, obeying commands and standing without assistance. He admitted he had “quite a bit of beer.” He was arrested for public intoxication and booked into county jail.
Sept. 16
Bag of goods A deputy headed eastbound on Mission Drive saw a man riding a bicycle westbound. The subject, 18, of Solvang was wearing a backpack and did not have his headlight on. The deputy stopped him and learned that the man was on active probation with search and seizure. The man admitted he had marijuana in his front left pocket, but when the deputy searched him he found two video game systems and an MP3 player. The man claimed he found the items in a garbage can in the backyard of a residence where he was doing maintenance work. He admitted it appeared sketchy, but he insisted he hadn’t stolen anything. He was cited and released. The marijuana was booked as evidence because the man did not have a doctor’s note.
Sept. 17
Sleepless in Solvang At 10:23 a.m. deputies responded to a gas station in Solvang on a report of people bothering patrons. Deputies arrived and saw two females, 56, and 45, and a male, 27, talking to a man pumping gas. They were showing him items inside plastic Rite Aid bags. The deputies confronted them and asked what they were selling. They voluntarily opened the bags, which contained various items such as deodorant, dandruff shampoo, sun block, safety razor blades, hair trimmers and an eye glass holder. The trio said they were trying to get back to the casino. One of the women said they had all been at a barbecue the prior evening and were driven to the Chumash Casino at 2 a.m. where they gambled all their money away, and were now trying to get money so they could return to the casino and find someone to take them home to Santa Paula. One of the women was on probation for possession of heroin and the deputy searched her purse and found a spoon with tar heroin on it and methadone in the pocket of her purse. She admitted she had injected heroin the night before. A drug test showed she was positive for opiates and cocaine. A manager at Rite Aid called authorities after learning about the incident and said the man had entered the store and grabbed some plastic bags. Later, a woman returned with bags full of items and attempted to return them without a receipt. He believed the man had stolen the items and gave them to the women. The three were arrested and booked into county jail.
Sept. 18
The bong show At 11:43 p.m., a deputy heading southbound on Highway 101 spotted a vehicle change two lanes without properly signaling. The deputy stopped the vehicle on Zaca Station Road. The driver and his passenger provided their driver’s licenses. A DMV computer check revealed the driver didn’t have a California driver’s license and that his New Mexico license had been suspended. The deputy searched the vehicle and smelled the odor of fresh marijuana coming from the passenger’s compartment. He located a case containing a marijuana bong and a small plastic container with less than 1 ounce of marijuana. The passenger, 27, of Santa Barbara claimed ownership. The deputy cited both men and allowed them to retrieve their belongings before transporting them to Buellton, where they were released. The vehicle was towed to a nearby commercial lot.
Against the law
At 11:50 a.m. a deputy at Santa Ynez Valley Union High School investigating an unrelated matter was advised by a school official that he contacted an 18-year-old near the school parking lot on Refugio Road and believed he was under the influence of drugs. The deputy went to the school office to speak with the man and noticed he had dilated pupils, a high pulse, eyelid tremors and white powder residue in his left nostril. The man admitted that he usually snorts cocaine or methamphetamine and stated that the last time he used was midnight. He refused to state what drug he used. After the deputy stepped out of the office to speak to another deputy, the man got up and attempted to leave. He claimed he had the right to leave because he was 18, and that he couldn’t be arrested because he did not have drugs on him. The deputy had to forcibly handcuff him and ultimately arrest him for being under the influence of a controlled substance. The man later tested positive on a drug test for amphetamines and codeine. He was booked into county jail. It was not determined whether he was a student of the school.
Not the mailman
At 6:09 a.m. deputies were dispatched to the Chumash Casino on a report of man with a stolen identification card. A casino investigator said a security guard had seen the man looking into several mailboxes on the Chumash reservation. A computer check showed the man, 36, of Santa Maria had two warrants for his arrest, one out of Santa Maria over a check forgery in July. A witness said he was on his way home and saw the man open several mailboxes and look inside. The investigator handed the deputy an envelope he retrieved from the man that contained several stolen, forged or altered checks, along with a forged resident alien card and a forged California driver’s license. The deputy also learned that the man had been banned from the casino related to illegal narcotic activity. The man claimed the items belonged to a friend of his who lived on the reservation, but he could not recall the friend’s name or contact information. The deputy confronted the man with a check issued on Sept. 12 to him for $200. The man claimed it was payment for work done for a construction company, but the deputy noted that the ink and font were not consistent throughout the check. The man was booked into county jail. He was on bail so the deputy requested that the District Attorney file additional charges.
Sept. 20
Vehicle burglary A man reported several possessions missing from his vehicle. On Sept. 19, he parked his truck near his residence and did not lock his vehicle. The next morning at 9 a.m. he returned and discovered that several items had been stolen, including a $600 woman’s coat, a $200 box of “Solvang Wine Experience” maps, and two first-aid kits, valued together at $200. There were no signs of forced entry and the man did not suspect anyone who might have been involved. The case was suspended, pending leads.